TOWAMENCIN — The Towamencin Township Police Department honored a dozen police officers and two civilians with citations and commendations at the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors meeting on April 23.

A Distinguished Unit Citation was awarded to Sgt. John Cutrone, Sgt. Gary Wacker, Det. John Wittenberger, Det. Michael Paul, police Officers Patrick Horne, James Hanrahan and Michael Seider, and police Specialist C.J. Yoder for their teamwork in responding to and investigating a home invasion robbery on the 600 block of Chadbourne Court last October — a joint effort that resulted in the arrest just a few days later of two Philadelphia brothers allegedly involved in the crime.

“Diligently following leads and evaluating evidence, both in Towamencin Township and into the City of Philadelphia, they worked tirelessly obtaining both arrest and search warrants,” the citation reads. “By working together to complete many tasks in a short period of time, two of the three of these dangerous criminals were taken off the street.”

Officer Seider and Officer Edmund Howarth received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the role they played in the arrest of three individuals allegedly involved in a one-night spree of scrap metal burglaries from Montgomery County businesses last October. After responding to the scene of one of the burglaries to assist Franconia and Lower Salford police, Seider engaged in a foot pursuit of one of the suspects while Howarth stopped a pickup truck that was leaving the scene, obtaining evidence and information crucial to the case, Towamencin police said. “The investigation resulted in the clearance of several burglaries ... the actions of these officers constituted excellent teamwork, initiative and diligence,” the citation honoring the pair reads.

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A third Distinguished Unit Citation was handed out to Sgt. Daniel Jusko, Sgt. Geoffrey Wainwright and Officer Christopher Check for helping to save the life of a 78-year-old man who was found unresponsive and not breathing after the trio responded to a medical emergency on Heritage Drive last November.

Towamencin police said that Jusko delivered an electrical shock to the man with an automated external defibrillator while Check began chest compressions; Jusko then initiated airway and rescue breathing until Wainwright arrived and took over CPR efforts. “Eleven hours later the victim was in stable condition at the hospital,” the citation states. “There is little doubt that the combined efforts of these police officers contributed to the survival of the victim following a potentially fatal medical emergency.”

Jessica Cardenas was one of two people awarded a Citizen Commendation on Wednesday. According to police, Cardenas performed CPR on a man who was having difficulty breathing while standing near the front register of a Wawa on Forty Foot Road — where Cardenas is employed — and then stopped breathing altogether. Before police and emergency medical personnel could arrive, Cardenas’ efforts got the man breathing again.

“Your actions undoubtedly saved the life of this person,” the commendation reads.

Charles Mitchell was also presented with a Citizen Commendation for his actions during a crippling ice storm in February. Towamencin police said that on Feb. 5, officers responded to the 1800 block of Valley Forge Road for a large tree that had fallen, blocking the southbound lane, and that after contacting the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to have the tree removed, they were told workers would not be able to respond for a significant amount of time.

However, while officers were directing traffic around the hazard, Mitchell arrived at the scene with a chainsaw to help remove the tree. “The officers described the conditions at the time as very dangerous, with the sound of falling tree limbs and branches being heard around them,” the commendation states. ”Mr. Mitchell worked diligently with the officers ... [his] actions allowed the roadway to be reopened and allowed the officers to get out of very dangerous weather conditions and to safety.”